From May 17-21, members of the Vincentian Family from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay came together in the house of the Daughters of Charity located in Santiago, Chile. The purpose of this gathering was to participate in a formation session that revolved around the theme of Vincentian spirituality, a program that is called the Berceau School. This was the first of three gatherings that are programed for May 2019, October 2019, and May 2020. This program arose from the lines of action that were developed during the Provincial Assemblies of the Daughters of Charity and the members of the Congregation of the Mission.

The Provincial Councils affirmed these lines of action. The objective of this time together is the following: to provide the participants (laymen and women who collaborate with the Daughters and the members of the Congregation in their ministry) with a time for formation in the Vincentian charism and to provide the participants with a set of tools that will make them dynamic protagonists in giving life to the Vincentian charism. This first session is an opportunity for the participants to return to their roots, to explore the historical and ecclesial context with regard to the life and ministry of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. These themes were developed by the members of the Congregation who are involved in the program of Vincentian Studies at the University of Deusto (Bilbao, Spain). An introduction to this theme was developed by Sister María Dolores Yáñez (the introduction revolved around the development of projects from a systemic-change perspective).

There were 45 participants in this program: 33 lay members of the Vincentian Family, 2 Daughters of Charity from the Congregation of the Daughters of Zagreb; 4 members of the Congregation of the Mission and 6 Daughters of Charity.

These participants returned to their countries and will conduct similar sessions with other members of the Vincentian Family residing in their respective countries.

Hugo R. Sosa, CM, Province of  Argentina
Source: Nuntia, may 2019.